Waking Up
by dixiedreaming
Summary: One night after the separate bedrooms incident, Bonnie has a nightmare which unexpectedly provides Scarlett and Rhett with an opportunity to resurrect their marriage. My first attempt at fanfiction.
1. Chapter 1

The room was pitch black when Scarlett awoke with a start that night, her heart seizing up with fear at the knowledge that she was not alone in the darkness. Without thinking she reached out her arm to alert Rhett only to find cold, empty sheets in the space his warm body should have occupied. With a pang of regret she remembered that this was no longer his bed, that he had not slept by her side since that dreadful afternoon months ago when she had chosen ill-conceived fantasies of Ashley over the reality of Rhett's embraces. Lord knew this was not the first time since then that she had wanted to take back that decision, but usually it was his stories and caresses that she longed for in the lonely hours of the night rather than the physical strength that she needed now. 'Oh fiddle dee dee!' she thought, chiding herself internally for her moment of weakness, 'I got through an entire war without him didn't I? I'll be damned if I can't handle this too.'

Pulling herself up silently into a crouching position on the bed Scarlett readied herself to fight or flee as the situation required. 'Who's there?' she called out, careful to make her voice appear angry as opposed to scared. Suddenly a frightened, childish sob emerged out of the gloom and Scarlett felt her entire body melt in relief.

'Ella is that you?' she asked in a harsher tone than she had intended, unable to hide her annoyance that her daughter had managed to scare her so.

'N…n…no.' came the stuttered, terrified response and if Scarlett had not been certain it was a girl's voice she'd heard she would have thought it was Wade crying in the blackness, anyone other than her boisterous, brave Bonnie. Scarlett's demeanour softened as she strained her eyes to catch sight of her favourite child in the oppressive gloom of the bedroom, a thrill of triumph coursing through her veins at the thought that Bonnie had sought out her rather than Rhett in her distress.

'Bonnie is that you?' she called gently. 'What's the matter honey? Come tell mama what's wrong.' Instantly a soft shuffling sound filled the air as the small outline of her daughter detangled itself from the darkness and Bonnie climbed eagerly into Scarlett's waiting arms. Burying her head into the crook of Scarlett's neck Bonnie began to sob harder, her whole body convulsing with the power of her tears. Scarlett tapped her gently on the back and tried her hardest not to lose her temper at the fine mess that her daughter was no doubt making on her new silk nightgown. After all Rhett never shouted at Bonnie, especially when she was upset, and if Scarlett was to stand any chance of exceeding him in their child's affections then she too would have to learn to tolerate such things.

Trying to keep her irritation out of her voice Scarlett began to stroke Bonnie's hair gently as she murmured in her ear, 'Sweety I can't help you unless you tell me what's wrong.'

Bonnie shuddered violently in her arms and cried out, 'I had a nightmare that you and Daddy were dead and then I woke up and it was all dark and Daddy was gone.'

Scarlett's mood soured as she realised that the only reason Bonnie had come to her was because her precious Rhett was nowhere to be found. She wondered spitefully if Bonnie would think her father such a saint if she knew where he really was, and more importantly who he was with, at this late hour. Pushing her vindictive thoughts out of her mind, Scarlett refocused her attentions on her daughter. While she may not have been Bonnie's first choice of parent this time, if she played her cards right then perhaps she would be next time. And wouldn't that just serve Rhett right if she used the time he spent away at that awful saloon with his red-headed whore to replace him in their daughter's heart!

Smiling her cat-got-the-cream smile, Scarlett kissed Bonnie's rumpled curls and rubbed her back in small, soothing circles the way Rhett used to do for her when she'd woken screaming from her own nightmares back in the days when he still cared enough to comfort her.

'Shh baby' she crooned, 'it was just a nasty dream that's all. I'm here aren't I? And I promise you that I'm never going to go anywhere.'

Bonnie's sobs subsided slightly at Scarlett's words and she sniffled loudly. 'But where's daddy?' she asked quietly, fear still laced in her little voice.

Scarlett frowned slightly at Bonnie's words, annoyed that even when he wasn't here Rhett was able to come between her and her daughter. Unwilling to let thoughts of him spoil their rare moment together though, she quickly recovered herself and, adopting a too-bright voice, said, 'Why daddy's gone to see an old friend who needs his help, but he'll be back soon and when he is he won't want to see you crying now will he?'

Bonnie shook her head slowly in agreement and wiped her remaining tears away with the back of her hand. 'Can we wait for him downstairs mama? I don't like your bedroom.'

'Why not?' Scarlett snapped, unsure in that moment whether her sudden angry stemmed from the fact Bonnie had insulted her beautiful room or the idea that she would never be truly satisfied until she was in Rhett's arms.

'It's cold.' Bonnie said simply.

'Why honey then I'll light a fire.'

'No' Bonnie persisted, 'not that type of cold.'

Scarlett opened her mouth to argue before snapping it quickly shut, her room _was_ cold these days in a way that went deeper than just temperature. Cold in a way something told her it hadn't been when she'd shared it with Rhett. Unwilling to admit that properly to herself however, let alone to Bonnie, Scarlett felt it would be safer simply to give her daughter what she wanted. In fact it might even help her win her way into Bonnie's affections, after all the tactic seemed to work for Rhett.

'How about the parlour then?' she asked and took Bonnie's vigorous nod against her shoulder for her silent answer. Reaching for her wrapper, Scarlett placed Bonnie on the bed beside her for a moment while she slipped it on over her nightgown. Once she had tied it round her waist she picked up her daughter and, easing herself off the bed, began to navigate her way across the blacked out room towards the faint outline of the doorway.

On reaching the landing the moonlight from the large stained glass window above the stairs illuminated the empty hallway and made her journey far easier. Glancing towards the grandfather clock Scarlett saw with a start that it was almost half past two in the morning, no wonder she felt so tired, why she was closer to tomorrow than she was to yesterday! She descended the stairs carefully and made her way across the hall to the parlour. Once inside she deposited Bonnie onto the soft armchair facing the doorway before crossing the room to start up a fire in the grate.

The fear in Bonnie's large blue eyes faded slightly as the room was bathed in the soft, amber glow of the fire and Scarlett remade her way across the floor to rejoin her daughter. Bonnie snuggled eagerly back into her arms as Scarlett sat down on the chair, crawling up her lap and clasping her short arms securely round her mother's neck.

'Tell me a story mama.' She purred happily, her earlier nightmare seemingly banished by the light and the warmth of Scarlett's embrace.

Scarlett stiffened, she wasn't very good at telling stories, that sort of thing had always been Rhett's area of expertise. Besides she was exhausted and the plush velvet of the armchair against her head was making the task of keeping her eyes open exceedingly difficult.

As if Bonnie could read her reluctance, she wriggled impatiently in Scarlett's lap and whined, 'Daddy always tells me a story when I've had a nightmare to make me feel better.'

Scarlett groaned to herself whilst silently admiring her daughter's ability to manipulate those around her just as she'd used to do when she was a child. Unwilling to fall short in Bonnie's eyes when compared to Rhett and allow their rare moment of intimacy slip away, Scarlett wracked her tired mind for a tale she could tell. The task was made harder by the fact that she was determined not to tell a story that included Rhett, yet looking back over her life she found to her considerable annoyance that nearly all the most interesting parts contained him in one way or another.

Eventually she stumbled upon the memory of the time she'd fallen out with her parents and Mammy over ripping her best dress while climbing a tree and, unwilling to listen to their lectures anymore, had hatched a plan to run away from home. She would have made it too if she hadn't met the Tarleton twins on the lane and let them persuade her that they should come along. She still remembered the look of anger on Beatrice's face when she'd caught them rummaging for supplies in her pantry. Even more vivid in her memory was the sound of the smacks she had dished out to Brent and Stu, and which she'd threatened to give Scarlett as well if she didn't get her 'backside on back to Tara in the next ten minutes.'

Bonnie giggled at Scarlett's impression of Beatrice and the tale of her mother's daring, her tinkling laughter filling Scarlett with pride and more than a little joy at the fact that her story had been such a success. After it was complete however, Bonnie demanded another and then another until Scarlett's eyes began to droop and she drifted off into a deep sleep halfway through recounting the time she'd tricked Suellen into thinking she wasn't actually an O'Hara and had instead been found by Big Sam wandering the cotton fields as a toddler and taken in out of pity.

It was some considerable time later when the front door opened and a tired and irritated Rhett Butler stepped into the hallway. He'd just lost more money than he cared to admit at the poker table in Belle's saloon, but it was the blow to his pride that stung the most, especially as his defeat came at the hands of that pug-faced bully Johnnie Gallegher. But damned if the man hadn't goaded him until he could scarcely think straight, let alone keep his mind on his cards!

He'd just won the last two hands and was feeling pretty pleased with himself, when Johnnie- no doubt angry at having lost most of his month's salary in little over an hour- inquired in an all too innocent voice as to how Scarlett was keeping these days. Rhett barely credited the man with a glance as he replied that his wife was as indomitable as ever. The men round the table chuckled whilst some of the girls, including Belle, offered up sly sniggers at his remark.

The pleasant, jovial mood was cut abruptly short however when Johnnie said, 'Hasn't been up to my mill lately is all, although from what I gather from Wilkes she'd been seeing his pretty regular.' Rhett stiffened slightly at the mention of Ashley, his inner jealousy, never far from the surface these days, rearing its ugly head and breaking through his legendary self-control for a moment.

Sensing weakness like a shark sensing blood, Johnnie leapt at the opportunity to sink his teeth in further. 'Course you can hardly blame the girl, if it was a choice between seeing my ugly mug every day or staring at Wilkes's fine features I'd pick him too.'

The atmosphere in the room grew frosty at his words and Rhett saw Belle's painted face cloud over with fear as she threw him an anxious and warning look. As to how everyone else reacted Rhett didn't know, too caught up was he in trying to reign in his rapidly rising temper. Struggling to maintain his composure and reassert his suddenly diminished authority he replied, 'While I agree with the assessment of your unfortunate visage Mr. Gallegher, luckily for you your business acumen is superior to your appearance, an accusation which cannot be levelled against Mr. Wilkes. If my wife frequents his mill more regularly than your own it is for this reason and this reason alone. However, if you feel you are incapable of running the business without her constant guidance then I'd be happy to let Mrs. Butler know so that she can find a more capable replacement.'

Rhett's words accompanied by his uncompromising, glacial stare proved too much for Gallegher who shrivelled up when openly confronted as bullies are wont to do and began hastily retracting his earlier statement. But while he had managed to defeat his opponent verbally, the insinuations that he had made took root in Rhett's mind, filling his head with repellent images of his wife and her golden-haired beloved. Unable to concentrate properly on his hand, Rhett lost the next five games in a row and only avoided being cleaned out entirely when Belle, loyal as ever, informed them that all their talk had given her a right royal headache and she had no choice but to shut up shop early tonight.

As Rhett hung up his coat and hat he wondered at how he'd managed to buck society's trend yet again by being the only man in Atlanta with a mistress who was more faithful than his wife. He was about to head up the stairs for a much-needed rest when a gleam of light under the parlour door caught his eye and halted him in his tracks. Though the idea of seeing Scarlett- no doubt out of bed enjoying one of her solitary nightcaps- when he was in this sort of mood was distinctly unappealing, the thought that she might have had one of her old nightmares crossed his mind and with love winning out over common sense once again he made his way slowly to the door.

Pushing it open he felt his heart stop as he took in the sight of the beauty before him. With her hair flowing freely and her face softened by sleep, she reminded him of the younger, purer Scarlett he had known before the war had hardened her almost beyond recognition. A Scarlett who still needed him, a Scarlett who could still be his. Ironic really, he mused, how their marriage rather than uniting them had served only to push them further apart. So much so in fact hat it was only in rare, unexpected moments such as these that he caught a glimpse of the woman he loved, a woman who scarcely seemed to exist anymore. Or at least not for him anyway, he thought bitterly, as Gallegher's earlier comments invaded his mind and threatened to ruin even this small moment of happiness.

'Daddy!' came a tiny, terrified voice, startling Rhett and causing him to tear his eyes away from Scarlett long enough to notice his beloved Bonnie. Guilt wracked through Rhett as he realised that he had been so entranced by his wife that he had completely neglected to notice that his daughter was perched on her knee. Now that he saw her though, her pale complexion and red-rimmed eyes made his heart lurch with a sense of foreboding.

'Bonnie, what's wrong?' he asked almost reluctantly, unable to quell the sudden fear deep inside that told him this was one question he truly didn't want to hear the answer to.

'Mama's dead!' his baby cried, her entire body juddering as her sobs wracked through her tiny frame.

Rhett felt as if the floor has opened up underneath him and he was plummeting through a dark and endless abyss towards his own, personal idea of Hell. Dead. Dead before he said goodbye. Dead before he'd won her heart. Dead before he'd apologised for forcing her into this ugly sham of a marriage. Dead before he'd told her that he loved her, that he had always loved her since the moment their eyes met. Dead. Scarlett dead.

No. She couldn't be, the words simply did not fit together, it was impossible that someone as alive as her could ever stop breathing. Surely she wouldn't look so beautiful if she was dead, her cheeks wouldn't be so rosy, her chest wouldn't…

Yes! Yes her chest was definitely rising and falling under her wrapper, she was still alive! In a peak of madness Rhett rushed forward and taking Scarlett by the shoulders, shook her violently until she jumped in her seat and opened her glorious emerald eyes. Rhett let out a breath he didn't know that he'd been holding as he realised that she was still with him before grinning when her startled eyes narrowed in anger as she took him in. Letting out a laugh made deep by the extent of his relief, Rhett quipped, 'My dear never have I been so glad to see you scowl at me!'


	2. Chapter 2

_Firstly I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who took the time to read my first chapter, especially to those who reviewed, favourited and/or followed it, it means a lot to know you liked my story. _

_After weeks of deliberating whether or not to start writing this fanfiction I'm now finding it very hard to stop! I think I have two more chapters to go until this story is complete. I've almost finished chapter three and it should be up in the next few days._

___Also, as one reviewer rightfully pointed out, for the purposes of my story I did have to tamper with Bonnie's age a bit. In the book she would be less than a year old at this point, but in my story she is closer to three, hope I didn't cause any offense by taking this liberty._

_Thanks again._

* * *

Scarlett felt her temper rise to new heights as she was rudely awoken for the second time that night. 'Scowl at you? Why I should shoot you for scaring me so! Just what sort of game are you playing at Rhett, waking me up like that?'

'My pet it was no game I assure you,' Rhett said, an annoying grin plastered across his face, 'Bonnie mistook your slumber for a sleep of an altogether longer and less pleasant kind and in my despair I could not prevent myself from launching myself at you. But it is no matter, as I see now that she was mistaken and that you are as alive and bad tempered as ever!'

Scarlett frowned in confusion, her skin bristling in the way that it always did when Rhett spoke in riddles. She was sure he only used them to mock her by making her feel as if she was less intelligent than him. She opened her mouth to give him another piece of her mind when she felt two hands fly round her neck as Bonnie squealed in delight, 'Mama you're alive!'

'Alive? Of course I'm alive!' she answered, bewildered by her daughter's strange behaviour. She sat in confusion for a moment before she put Rhett's words together with Bonnie's earlier nightmare and her sudden joy and realised her daughter's mistake.

'Honey' she said in a softer tone as she stroked Bonnie's hair, genuinely touched in that moment by her daughter's show of affection, 'didn't I tell you I wasn't going anywhere? You should know you can't get rid of me that easily!'

'Don't I know it!' Rhett said, his jeering tone cutting through the tenderness of their mother-daughter moment like a knife. Scarlett raised her head away from Bonnie to glare at her husband only to be surprised by the open look of remorse that filled his dark eyes. As she stared at him she noticed how his gaze continually flittered between her and Bonnie with an almost scared expression. Scarlett puzzled over the strange look he was currently wearing for a moment or two before smiling triumphantly when she recognised it for what it was; jealousy.

She was surprised she hadn't deciphered it instantly, Lord knew she'd worn it enough times when looking at the two of them together. Deciding to push her and Bonnie's newfound connection further in order to increase Rhett's obvious torment , Scarlett rose quickly from the chair clutching Bonnie possessively against her chest and planned to make her escape.

'Baby,' she purred in Bonnie's ear, careful to use only her sweetest tones that in times gone by had helped make her the Belle of Three Counties, 'how about you come sleep in Mama's bed tonight? That way you'll know I'm safe and I'll be there if you have another nightmare.'

The twisted look of hurt on Rhett's face would have been priceless if Bonnie hadn't spoilt her moment of glory by squirming in Scarlett's arms to face her father.

'No!' she cried, 'I want to sleep in daddy's bed!'

Scarlett dropped her head quickly, not wanting to see the flush of victory that was no doubt filling her husband's face. 'Fine' she retorted, her voice trying and failing to hide her embarrassment and wounded pride in the face of Bonnie's rejection. She made to hold her out for Rhett to take only for her daughter to cling harder round her neck.

'No!' Bonnie cried again, making Scarlett's head snap back up in surprise, 'you too Mama.'

Scarlett grew stiff at Bonnie's words, her body seizing up as if she'd been dealt a physical blow, glancing at Rhett out of the corner of her eye she saw that he looked similarly winded at their daughter's unexpected request. For once in her life Scarlett found herself speechless, unsure of how to react for the best. The idea of sharing a bed with Rhett again was daunting, they hadn't slept together in months, hell they'd hardly spoke to each other in recent weeks! While she'd be lying if she said she didn't miss his presence at night, the idea of being that close to him after such a long separation was unnerving. After all, he was no longer the dashing, infuriating skunk of the war years who'd dedicated himself tirelessly to teasing her just to see her smile. Nowadays, rather than chasing after her like a beau as he'd used to do, he seemed to follow her around more like a dark, disapproving storm cloud, casting a shadow over her and everything she did.

She was well aware that the only person he truly cared for anymore was Bonnie and that this tireless devotion to their daughter would prevent him from refusing her anything, even when what she wanted was completely ridiculous. Scarlett sighed, she knew he didn't want her back in his bed, his tense body language and frowning countenance told her that much for sure. But seeing as he didn't have the nerve to defy their daughter for fear of turning her against him, Scarlett knew it would be left to her yet again to play the role of the cruel, strict parent in order to save them both from enduring an unpleasant night. 'And I wonder why Bonnie prefers him to me!' Scarlett laughed mirthlessly to herself.

'Honey' she sighed, deciding she'd better get this over with quickly if she was to stand any chance of getting some sleep tonight, 'I'd love to stay with you, but there's simply not enough room for you, me and daddy all in one bed.' It wasn't the most convincing lie she'd ever told by any means, Lord knew Rhett's king-size bed was so large that Mammy probably could have joined them without causing too much trouble, but Scarlett was tired and irritated by the night's events and it was the best she could come up with at that moment.

'We can so fit, I'm only little!' Bonnie pouted, her blue eyes clouding over like a summer sky during a thunder storm as she worked herself up in preparation for one of her infamous temper tantrums that could put even Scarlett's to shame.

Exhausted and unwilling to endure Bonnie's oncoming hysterics, Scarlett lost her composure and inadvertently blurted out the truth to her child, 'Bonnie there's no use crying about it, I can't sleep with you tonight as Daddy wouldn't want me to and that's an end to it!'

Scarlett gasped when her mind caught up with her mouth and she realised what she'd said. The similar look of shock plastered across Rhett's normally stoic features told her that he too was taken aback by her words. No wonder they were both startled, she thought wryly, those were probably some of the only true words they had spoken throughout their entire marriage.

Rhett recovered himself in record time however, Scarlett watching as his blank mask was quickly refitted over his features, hiding his true self from her once more. 'My dear' he drawled tonelessly, 'I believe it was you who decided that us sleeping together was no longer desirable.'

Scarlett flinched, they never mentioned her request for separate bedrooms out loud, it was something of an unspoken rule between the two of them, one of the few remaining things that they did share these days. Taken by surprise by Rhett's sudden candour, Scarlett floundered and could only nod mutely when an ecstatic Bonnie, used to her father acquiescing to her every wish, took his words for consent and squealed her delight.

Now that they had reached this fragile accord both Scarlett and Rhett seemed at a complete loss as to how to proceed and would likely have spent what remained of the night standing gormlessly in the parlour had not Bonnie, impatient as ever, squirmed in Scarlett's arms until her mother put her down. Reaching out an arm to both of her parents, she captured their hands in her own and pulled them determinedly towards the hallway where they ascended the staircase in an awkward silence.

Scarlett felt oddly helpless as she was pulled up the stairs by her daughter, for once though she found that she did not mind relinquishing control, in fact after years of having to make difficult decisions single-handedly she rather relished the chance to sit back and have someone make them for her. Living with Rhett had become a battleground in recent months, she constantly felt like she had to watch her speech and her step around him for fear of evoking his contempt and setting off another round of his sardonic jeers. She knew deep down that asking him for separate bedrooms had been the cause of this steep downturn in their relationship, but she also knew that her pride would never allow her to admit her mistake and ask him to come back to her. Thinking about it in that light, tonight might be exactly what she needed, the perfect way to reconnect with her husband without having to humble herself in front of him to achieve it.

As they reached the door of Rhett and Bonnie's room though Scarlett couldn't help but feel that she did not belong there, that this was their territory, a testament to the overwhelmingly close bond that Rhett and Bonnie shared, a bond that in tying the two of them together had pushed Scarlett further and further onto the side lines in recent years.

'I'm in the middle!' Bonnie yelped as they approached Rhett's bed. The sheets were spotless and clearly hadn't been touched since Prissy had made the bed up the previous morning. Scarlett tried not to let jealously overwhelm her as she thought of the reasons for this, instead trying to console herself with the thought that it was her and not Belle who would sleep with Rhett tonight. Her unpleasant thoughts were interrupted however when Bonnie let go of her hand, jumped onto the quilt and dived quickly under the warmth of the covers. Feeling strangely vulnerable now that Bonnie had left her side, Scarlett glanced at Rhett hoping that he would give her an indication of what to do next. Rather than offering her an insight into his mind though the black eyes that met hers were as distant and inscrutable as ever. Her courage waned at the sight and she was considering fleeing to the safety of her own room when a cry of 'Mama!' reached her ears and she quickly joined her daughter in the bed before she managed to lose her nerve completely.

Under the covers, she removed her wrapper and dropped it out of the bed onto the floor as she shifted to try and find a comfortable position. She watched as Rhett removed his jacket and pulled off his cravat before bending to take off his shoes and socks. Once this was done, he lay down on top of the quilt still clad in his shirt and trousers in a way that, had she not known he would not leave Bonnie for a second time, would have made her think he was planning on returning to that ghastly saloon again tonight. Scarlett's eyes met Rhett's for a second as he turned onto his side facing Bonnie and her pulse raced at the electric current that seemed to surge between the two of them in that moment.

'Hands!' Bonnie commanded, breaking their brief connection as she reached out once again, her eyes falling shut in contentment once she had grasped her parents' securely in her own.

'Night' Bonnie murmured, her breath already becoming shallower as sleep began to overtake her tired body.

'Night honey' Rhett replied, giving his daughter's hand a gentle squeeze.

Never one to be outdone, Scarlett chimed, 'Yes, good night precious, sleep tight' before leaning over to place a kiss on Bonnie's forehead. She caught Rhett's eye as she did so and smirked as he raised his eyebrows at her rare display of maternal affection, pleased that her behaviour was affecting him so obviously.

Soon the sound of Bonnie's soft snores filled the dark room and Scarlett felt herself being lulled to sleep by the gentle rhythm of the sound. It seemed she was destined to get no rest tonight though, as just as she was drifting off she felt Bonnie begin to toss and turn violently beside her. Groaning her displeasure at being woken once again, Scarlett turned to her daughter and, mistaking her sudden agitation for the onset of another nightmare, took Bonnie by the shoulders in an attempt to shake her awake.

Her actions proved futile however when she saw to her surprise that Bonnie's eyes were already open, shining brightly in the dark with an expression that seemed to Scarlett to be comprised more of irritation than of fear.

'What is it honey?' she asked, as Bonnie huffed loudly and kicked her legs petulantly under the covers once more.

'I'm too hot in the middle!' Bonnie whined, letting go of Scarlett's hand and thumping the quilt in a sudden burst of temper.

'Do you want to go back to your own bed?' Scarlett asked somewhat reluctantly, surprised by how much she was enjoying sleeping beside her husband and daughter and silently dreading the thought of having to return to her own bed which would now surely feel more empty and cold than ever.

Before Bonnie had a chance to answer however, Rhett's deep drawl broke through the gloom of the bedroom, 'It would be far easier my pet if you and Bonnie simply swapped places.'

Scarlett tensed at his words unsure of what to make of them. Did this mean that he did not mind them sharing a bed again? That rather than being angry at her presence like she'd thought he was, he actually wished for her to come closer? Her heart soared at the thought that maybe she wasn't the only one who regretted them sleeping in separate bedrooms, that maybe she wasn't the only one who found the solitary nights cold.

She'd almost allowed herself to believe that Rhett still cared for her, when the feel of Bonnie clambering over her to get to the relative cool of the other side of the bed brought her back down to earth with a bump. Of course, Rhett wasn't doing this to get closer to her, why she'd be surprised if he'd even thought about her at all before he spoke. No his decision was based solely on the same thing it always was; Bonnie's happiness. His daughter's actions earlier tonight had obviously been enough to convince him that she wanted to spend the night with both of her parents and, never one to let his beloved baby down, Rhett had acted to ensure that this was exactly what she got.

Oddly disappointed by the knowledge Rhett was merely tolerating her presence beside him for Bonnie's sake, Scarlett lay back down closed her eyes. She tried desperately to ignore the shivers which were coursing through her body at the mere thought of Rhett's sudden proximity and instead focussed on trying to finally get some much needed sleep.

'Hands!' came a cry from her right and wearily Scarlett turned onto her side and reached out her arm across Bonnie to clutch her daughter's small hand in her own larger one.

'You too daddy!' Bonnie demanded, making Scarlett's entire body stiffen.

'Err, Bonnie, I don't think…' she began to say only to feel her voice dry up in her throat when she felt the mattress move beneath her as Rhett heaved himself from his position at the edge of the bed and came to lie directly behind her. Scarlett watched entranced as the large shadow of his arm moved over and dipped beneath the sheets as Rhett took Bonnie's free hand in his. The movement brought him even closer to her, until the entire length of Rhett's front was pressed firmly against her back. Lying on top of the quilt as he was, the action effectively trapped Scarlett beneath the covers in a way that should have been uncomfortable and yet wasn't. Rather than baulk at being so tightly surrounded by her husband and daughter, Scarlett felt happier than she had in a long time.

It was in this huddled position, safely cocooned between Bonnie and Rhett and filled with the warmth that seeped from their bodies into hers, that Scarlett finally found the rest that she had been so longing for all night as she surrendered herself to sleep, protected by the security of her family's embrace.


	3. Chapter 3

_This is more of a introspective chapter than the previous two, I wasn't planning in making it this long, but yet again I found it hard to stop once I'd got going! For those of you who are waiting for more Scarlett/Rhett interaction, don't worry it is coming, I just needed to get them in the right place at the right time first, never an easy job with those two!_

_Thanks again for reading and reviewing!_

* * *

The first rays of dawn were just beginning to pour in through the curtains when Rhett woke the following morning. Slowly he opened his eyes, still slightly tired from the exertions of the previous night, only to blink in confusion at the unexpected sight that greeted him. At first he thought he was still sleeping, after all this wouldn't be the first time that he'd dreamt Scarlett had come back to him. In fact almost every night found him plagued by visions of the two of them acting out scenes of reconciliation and speaking words of love to each other, only for the morning to come and rob him of his newfound joy once again.

Rhett blinked hard and felt his weary heart lift when he opened his eyes to find that this was no dream and that Scarlett really was lying beside him, her long black locks tickling his face and her supple body wrapped tightly in his arms. He longed to reach out and caress her face, to pepper her flawless magnolia skin with his kisses, each touch wiping away a little more of the hurt that festered between them until nothing was left. But as he moved to do so he caught sight of Bonnie, sleeping soundlessly a foot or so away from Scarlett's side and felt his more amorous intentions subside with this sudden knowledge of his daughter's proximity. Instead he pulled his wife tighter against his body, revelling in the feel of their intertwined fingers and internally cursing the quilt that lay like a barrier between them.

He studied her face in the first golden rays of the new day and was relieved to see that she looked peaceful, her rosy lips curled up slightly at the edges as if she were dreaming of pleasant things. Rhett allowed himself for a few moments to believe that it was him Scarlett was thinking of, that she dreamt of him the way he did of her. He wished that they could stay exactly like this, curled up together in the safety of this room which kept the real world and everybody in it at bay. But as the rising sun crept through the curtains and up the bed, gradually illuminating her sleeping form, Rhett felt the closeness and certainty that he had felt during the hours of darkness break apart when exposed to the harsh light of reality.

She did not love him. He knew it, had always known it, and to allow himself to believe otherwise even for a moment would only serve to leave him vulnerable to her scorn and rejection. The only reason Scarlett had even shared his bed last night was because of Bonnie and, while he was curious as to why she had suddenly decided to act like a mother to their little girl, he was certain her miraculous turnaround had nothing to do with him. Rhett baulked at the remembrance of how he had come close to exposing his feelings last night, how he'd spoken out to stop her returning to her own bed when Bonnie had complained of being too hot lying between them. He knew he should have kept quiet and let her go, suffocated his emotions as he'd so painstakingly learnt to do over the years, but in that moment, having only just got her back, he simply could not bear to watch her leave again.

Scarlett stirred slightly in her sleep, rolling away from him onto her front and the movement served to harden Rhett's heart, appearing to him as it did to convey her desire to leave his embrace. Scared that she would wake and read in his eyes the overriding pain of crushed hope that was too large for him to even try to hide from her, Rhett did what he always did when he feared his love was close to being revealed; he ran.

Carefully detangling his hand from hers, he eased himself slowly to the edge of the bed, stopping every few seconds to listen for any change in the sound of her breathing that would alert him to her awakening. Gently, he lifted himself off the mattress and picked up his discarded clothes from the night before, forgoing his usual pristine image in favour of making a hasty exit from the room.

Moments later, dressed in yesterday's crumpled outfit, Rhett Butler dejectedly descended the same stairs that only a few hours ago he had climbed with new hope. Leaving the house, he swiftly looked up and down the street, momentarily at a loss of where to go. The town was all but deserted at this early hour of the morning, the air cool and refreshing as it brushed up against his skin. He briefly considered heading back to Belle's, but after last night's humiliating defeat he did not feel like showing his face there again quite so soon. Furthermore, Belle, unlike Scarlett, had always been able to read him like a book and she would be bound to pick up on his present unhappiness and ask him questions that he was nowhere near ready to answer.

So instead he decided to go to the bank, feeling that a day spent behind his desk devoting himself to matters purely of a business nature was exactly what he needed to forget the inner turmoil of his heart. Arriving in the lobby, he saw to his relief that he was one of only a few people there at this early hour and, pleased he would not have to spend time talking to his fellow colleagues, he hurriedly marched over to his desk with a practiced look of determination and picked up the first file from the top of the stack that lay before him.

Since he had fixed it for Mrs . Merriweather to expand her bakery, many of Atlanta's Old Guard had taken to coming to him with their financial matters and requests, hoping to take advantage of his sudden pursuit of respectability in order to further their own ends. Rhett sighed, sometimes he missed his old life of decadence, the knowledge that he need rely on nothing and no one but himself. He wondered idly what his younger self would make of him now, going out of his way to flatter and court the very people he had once derided and detested, not much was his guess.

He remembered how he'd once told Scarlett that with enough courage you could do without a reputation, but that was back in the days when he was young and fearless, convinced that it was only a matter of time before she opened her heart to him and that once he had her, he would need nothing else, least of all a reputation. But the years had dragged on and Scarlett had held out against his love until his own courage and self-confidence had slowly begun to fade away. Until he had lost all hope for his own happiness and now only thought to ensure Bonnie's by clawing back the credibility he had so carelessly flung away.

No matter how hard he tried to keep up this charade of respectability throughout the day and concentrate on the work in front of him though, his traitorous mind kept assaulting him with images of the night before. For every minute that he spent thinking about loans and mortgages he spent an hour thinking about Scarlett. He remembered how silky her skin had felt, how soft her breathing had been, how her body had gradually melted into his during the course of the night. But more than all of that, he remembered the moment deep in the heart of the night when he had been woken from his slumber by the feel of Bonnie pulling away from him and Scarlett as she rolled over to lie at the edge of the bed.

He remembered how he had lain paralysed, afraid of making the slightest movement in case it woke Scarlett and she realized that it was now just the two of them wrapped up in an embrace. His head had shouted at him to withdraw his arm from where it now hung limp around her waist, to turn away from her towards his side of the bed. But his heart, stubborn and reckless as ever, had prevented him from moving so much as a muscle. And so he had lain there, silent and still, luxuriating in the feel of the first truly intimate moment he had shared with his wife in many months.

A few minutes later, he felt Scarlett stir and was just about to pull back when she surprised him by reaching out for his hand in her sleep and intertwining it with her own. The gesture, though unconsciously made, had sent trills of desire and affection shooting through Rhett's body, breaking down the walls he had built up around his heart and flooding his soul with such a tide of love he feared he would never be able to stem the flow again.

It was with this image in his head that Rhett rose from his desk at five o'clock and began his journey back home, cursing himself for his earlier weakness in running away from her when he should have stayed and built on the shaky foundations they had laid down last night. He knew that it would not be an easy task to get their marriage back on track, that he'd have to fight his own cowardice every bit as much as Scarlett's stubbornness if he was to stand any chance of success, but buoyed up by the night's events he felt that he was finally willing to try.

As he opened the door to their Peachtree Mansion however, and saw Scarlett standing in the hallway with Mammy looking more stunning and out of reach than ever in her emerald green gown, her glossy raven locks cascading down from her head and framing her subtly made-up face to perfection, his courage left him and he knew that he was not strong enough to confess his feelings to her.

Not yet away. What he needed now was time, time to reconnect with her so that when he finally did let down his defenses and open up his heart he would have no fear of rejection, already being assured of her love. What he needed was a way to ensure that Scarlett would share his bed again tonight and, if he had his way, ever other night for the rest of their lives. Rhett squared his shoulders as a plan took form in his mind, it was risky and morally dubious and there was a good chance that she would see though his ploy, but this was one gamble that Rhett Butler was determined to win, one gamble that he truly could not afford to lose.

* * *

Scarlett had also spent the majority of the day trying to devise a way of fixing it so that she wouldn't have to return to her own bed again. Not that she had felt so kindly towards Rhett when she first woke up of course, the realization that he had upped and left her while she was still asleep having put her in an extremely sour mood at first.

His absence from the bed that they had shared together initially confirmed her earlier assumptions that he had not really wanted her there, but had merely permitted her presence as a means of pacifying Bonnie. As she stalked downstairs and vented her frustration by shouting unnecessarily at the servants, Scarlett was fully determined to erase the events of the previous night from her memory and smother the small flame of hope that had caught light inside her as Rhett had held her in his arms. He could never know how his presence had affected her, she swore fiercely to herself, never know how she had longed to remain in his bed forever, for if he did he would only laugh at her for her foolishness and the sound of his contempt would cut her deeper than any knife.

Scarlett ate her breakfast as quickly as she could and hurriedly set about preparing to leave the house. She was anxious to go as soon as possible so that Rhett wouldn't return to find her indoors, sitting idly round as if she had nothing better to do than wait for him to come back. As she got ready she tried to think of a place she could escape to where she wouldn't run the risk of bumping into her errant husband. Ashley's mill was the obvious answer, after all Rhett never went there if he could help it and it wouldn't look suspicious as she'd been visiting him regularly for a while now to help him out with the utter mess he was making of the business.

But while she was sorely tempted to spend the day with Ashley simply because she knew it would anger Rhett, something held her back. Part of her could not bear the thought of sitting round all day in the office while he droned endlessly on about the golden days of the past, not after her hopes for the future, only born a few short hours ago, had been so cruelly dashed this morning. Instead she decided to take the children and go and visit Melanie, that way she could keep Bonnie by her side and hopefully build on the connection they had forged last night.

Melanie was as joyous as ever when she opened the door to Scarlett and the children an hour later, her eternally serene face lighting up as it always did when she took in the sight of her dearest friend. 'Why Scarlett dear, how good of you to come visit, and the children too!' she cooed happily, her voice filled with all the natural sweetness that Scarlett's so pointedly lacked.

Once they were settled in the parlour, Ella and Bonnie beside Scarlett, while Wade ran off excitedly to find Beau, Melanie began hastily apologising for the state of the room. 'It's just that I'm planning a surprise party for Ashley for his birthday and I'm afraid that I haven't been able to concentrate on anything else these last couple of days, so things around the house have grown awfully lax.'

Scarlett forced a thin smile, her head was still in a tumult from the previous night and the last thing she felt like talking about was the cleanliness of Melanie's parlour. 'What do you think Scarlett?' Melanie asked expectantly, snapping her friend abruptly back into the present.

'About what?' Scarlett asked.

'Why Ashley's surprise birthday party of course!' Melanie smiled indulgently at her, 'do you think it's a good idea?'

Scarlett's smile slipped slightly, truthfully she thought throwing a surprise party for a grown man was the stupidest thing she'd ever heard, a whole lot of fuss over nothing, but under Melanie's hopeful gaze she swallowed her less charitable opinions and replied that it sounded absolutely splendid and that she was sure Ashley would love it.

Melanie beamed contentedly at her remark, making Scarlett wonder at why her opinion carried such weight with her friend. Surely Melanie was old enough to make her own decisions by now, she questioned a little contemptuously, before thinking that it was a lucky job Melanie didn't have to run her own business or nothing would ever get decided upon.

Melanie was just explaining the finer details of the party to Scarlett when Bonnie yawned loudly from her seat beside Scarlett, her mouth wide open and uncovered by her hand. Embarrassed by her daughter's rudeness and worried that it reflected badly on her parenting skills, Scarlett scolded Bonnie sharply for her unladylike behaviour in having interrupted Melanie.

'Oh come now Scarlett,' Melanie smiled benevolently, 'I'm sure Bonnie didn't mean to be rude, now did you dear? You're probably just a little overtired now aren't you?'

Bonnie nodded her head vigorously in Melanie's direction, pouting slightly at her mother as she did so. 'I had a nightmare last night.' She murmured softly, so softly in fact that Scarlett was sure she was playing up her distress in order to draw Melanie's sympathy out.

Sure enough her friend's eyes clouded over in concern at Bonnie's revelation, 'Oh you poor thing, how terrifying that must have been for you! Was the light on when you woke up?' she asked, well aware of Bonnie's fear of the dark.

'No' Bonnie said, 'but Mama and Daddy slept with me and I wasn't so scared anymore.'

Scarlett felt her cheeks flush bright red at Bonnie's declaration, as Melanie choked a little on her tea and hurriedly turned her face as if she wasn't entirely sure where to look. It was well known it Atlanta that Rhett and Scarlett no longer shared a bed, yet another thing that the residents used as ammunition to fuel their long-seated hatred of Scarlett. Yet, while the subject was no doubt whispered about it was never mentioned outright and Scarlett knew that Melanie was far too loyal a friend ever to listen to such gossip. Even so talk of sleeping arrangements between man and wife just weren't spoken about in polite company, even between friends, and both women now found themselves awash in a sea of embarrassment neither certain of what to say to overcome it.

Thankfully for both, Wade and Beau chose this moment to reappear, breaking the sudden awkward atmosphere that had descended on the room as they came bounding down the stairs and through the door. 'Aunty Melly can we go play outside?' Wade asked, irritating Scarlett by seeking Melanie's permission rather than her own.

'Of course dear,' she replied, 'just make sure you stick close to the house and remember to hold hands if you go near the road.'

As the two boys raced each other out of the room in their eagerness to get outside, Scarlett felt herself blush as Melanie's words brought back a memory from the previous night. She had been awoken by a movement in the bed and, opening her eyes, Scarlett had been surprised to find that Bonnie was no longer in her arms, but rather that she now lay some distance away, her legs poking out of the covers at the extreme edge of the bed. Scarlett's first thought had been to reach out and pull her daughter back to her, she did not want to leave the comfort of Rhett's hold and feared that now Bonnie was no longer in need of them, Rhett would pull back and leave her to lie alone once more.

But the minutes passed and still he did not move and slowly Scarlett felt herself relax in the thought that Bonnie's escape must not have woken him as it had her and that Rhett was still oblivious to the sudden absence of their daughter from their clinch. Scarlett was about the shut her eyes once more when the sight of Rhett's hand, strong, tanned and newly empty, caught her eye and almost without thinking she reached out and slid her own against his, the back of her hand to the palm of his.

Suddenly she felt Rhett stiffen behind her and she realized with a jolt of fear that he was in fact awake and had just witnessed her act of affection. Scarlett felt her blood freeze as the dread of having exposed herself in front of him overtook her and she was just about to snatch her hand back from his when Rhett's fingers curved, causing her own, smaller ones to part as he curled his own down in the gaps between them. Scarlett hardly dared to breathe as she felt him begin to draw tentative patterns into the soft palm of her hand with the tips of his fingers. This gentle, lover-like gesture bringing her entire body out in goosebumps as a small shudder of pleasure coursed through her veins, making her both deliciously cold and unbearably hot at the same time.

The moment had been small, tiny in fact, and yet it had seemed to signify so much. His acceptance of her action and the soothing nature of his own seemed to Scarlett to hold a silent promise, a promise that her newfound feelings for her husband were not only welcomed by Rhett, but reciprocated also. In her anger at his abandonment this morning she had forgotten this earlier gesture, but now it came flooding back to her stronger and more potent than ever and she wondered why she was here, sat in Melanie's parlour drinking tea and talking of nothing when she come be at home winning back her husband.

Almost instantly she jerked up from her chair, shocking Melanie and the children with the unexpected force of her movement. 'Melly,' she rattled off thoughtlessly, 'would you mind looking after the children for me this afternoon, I've just remembered some urgent business I've got to see to before supper. You can bring them back when it's time for their tea.'

'Of course Scarlett dear,' Melanie replied, slightly put out by her friend's sudden desire to be gone, but too far too selfless ever to mention it. Instead she showed Scarlett to the door, almost being knocked over for her troubles when Scarlett barreled past her in her eagerness to get home.

Once there, Scarlett realized that if she was going to stand any chance of winning Rhett back then she was going to have to look her best. Breathlessly she flung open the door and shouted to Mammy that she was going to have a nap for an hour or two and after she woke up she would need a bath to be run for her. Passing through the hallway Scarlett stopped to inspect herself in the mirror and was altogether less than pleased with what she saw there. Her eyes were still slightly baggy from lack of sleep and her face looked older than she remembered, more severe in some way that she couldn't quite place. Putting on her best dimple-inducing smile, Scarlett sighed in relief as she saw the ghost of her younger, more carefree self staring back at her and thought that perhaps hope wasn't entirely lost after all.

Still she did not feel enough like her old self to be so confident as to lay all her cards on the table in front of Rhett straight away. No, for once in her life she needed to take things slowly, to think carefully in order to break down his walls and win his heart without him even knowing it. Her mind quickly cast around for a way to worm her way back into her husband's bed without it looking like that was what she was trying to do and her green eyes flashed with the thrill of triumph when she hit upon the perfect solution. Bonnie.

While Rhett may not listen to her anymore he never refused his daughter, hadn't last night been the perfect example of that? If Scarlett could just engineer it so that Bonnie asked her to sleep with them again tonight then she could take advantage of Rhett's lowered defenses and use all her feminine charms on him so that he wouldn't know what had hit him until it was too late.

Scarlett grinned mischievously at her image in the mirror, an image which was beginning to look more and more like the passionate, romantic girl that she had once been with every passing moment. Of course it was underhand to use her daughter as bait in this way, but then Scarlett O'Hara had never been afraid to play dirty in order to get want she wanted. And at this moment, she wanted Rhett more than she'd ever wanted anything in her entire life.


	4. Chapter 4

_Sorry for taking a while to update, I found this chapter the hardest to write so far, but I'm finally reasonably happy with it. There will be one more chapter after this one before my story is complete. My apologies in advance for my attempt at depicting Mammy's dialect, I tried to keep it as close to the book as I possibly could, but if anyone wants to message me with corrections then I'd be more than happy to make them._

_Thanks, as always, for reading and reviewing!_

* * *

Scarlett stood in her wardrobe some hours later, freshly rested and with her skin still slightly damp from the recent bath, her hands on her hips and a large frown plastered across her face. She'd been trying to decide what to wear for the last half an hour and while she'd finally narrowed it down to a choice between five dresses, she was currently still clad only in her wrapper. None of her clothes seemed quite right, her more recent purchases were all too brash and obvious to lure Rhett, in fact one of his favourite past times these days was insulting her 'increasingly hideous' taste in clothing asking her in a faux concerned voice if she'd been having trouble with her eyesight recently.

On the other hand, her older dresses seemed too simple, too innocent to woo her husband, after all he had seen them on her a million times before and if she was to stand a chance of reigniting the spark between them then she needed a dress that would truly stop him in his tracks. Just as she was about to settle for a red dress that she had bought a few months ago which was slightly too low in the bosom to be altogether respectable, but would have to do, she spotted a flash of green from the back of the closet, almost entirely concealed behind her vast collection of mourning outfits.

Her eyes lit up as she extracted the dress from its hiding place, admiring the seemingly endless yards of perfect emerald green silk that floated elegantly to the floor. It was perfect. Rhett had had it specially made for her on their honeymoon and presented it to her in a box with the note, _My darling wife, I remember a particularly scandalous conversation we had some time ago when you expressed a wish to have all of you clothes made out of silk. Please accept this dress as a symbol of my desire to make all of your dreams a reality._

Scarlett remembered how for the first time in her life she had been more touched by what the gift meant than by the present itself, Rhett's words filling her with a sense of security and worth that she hadn't experienced since her childhood at Tara. The fact that he had not only remembered her words, but cared enough to make them come true made her look at him in a new light and she wondered earnestly if maybe he didn't love her after all. Surely a man didn't go to so much trouble for a woman if their relationship was only a matter of business?

But as she raised bewildered green eyes to meet his black ones she saw to her considerable disappointment that his were filled not with love, but amusement. Scarlett's skin bristled as she wondered whether the gift was a trap designed to make her care for him only to be humiliated by his rejection, and the tender feelings she had felt for her husband, so newly born, were instantly suffocated by this fear. Rhett seemed oblivious to the change in his wife however and only grinned wider as he presented her with a second, smaller box.

'I wanted to make sure I fulfilled your desires thoroughly,' he drawled teasingly as she removed the lid to reveal undergarments, 'and you did say you wanted _all _of your clothes to be made of silk.'

Standing in her wardrobe separated from the event by several years, Scarlett still felt her cheeks burn at the memory of Rhett's scandalous present and the even more indecent scene that followed. She remembered how his eyes had seared into her, scorching her skin, as they made love for the first time during the daylight hours, completely exposed to one another as he ripped the newly-bought silk from her flushed body in rare moment of unbridled passion. Now she almost wished that he hadn't, the underwear had been amongst the most beautiful garments she'd ever owned and, while he had promised her that he would replace them as soon as they returned to Atlanta, for one reason or another he had never gotten around to it and the moment of intimacy between the two had been lost.

Sighing wistfully to herself, Scarlett called for Prissy to come lace her and with each pull of the corset she felt her spine straighten a little, her resolve to win her husband back harden, so that when she finally slipped the green dress on and felt the soft fabric caress her entire body she knew that she was ready to forget about the missed opportunities of the past and fight for her future happiness.

Walking over to her vanity mirror, she sat down on the stool and regarded herself openly in the mirror. Her hand reached for the rouge as a force of habit, but she tempered her instinct to apply it liberally to her cheeks as she normally did these days, instead remembering how Rhett had always said he preferred her skin as it was. While she wasn't brave enough to leave her face completely bare she made sure to apply only the faintest of strokes to her cheeks, heightening rather than covering up her natural complexion.

She bit her lips as she'd used to do back in the days before she discovered make up in order to make them red and plump and smiled as she took in the results before her. She looked younger somehow, purer, which was a word that she would never normally associate with herself, but seemed to suit the grinning beauty that stared out at her from behind the glass perfectly.

She left her hair down around her shoulders, her raven tresses falling in smooth, natural waves after her bath. She thought back to how Rhett had always loved to stroke her hair as they lay together at night, how he would take her locks and wrap them tightly around his throat before he fell asleep. Once she had gotten up the courage to ask him why he did this, the gentle gesture seeming so at odds with his usual masculine persona. He had smiled enigmatically at her question and replied, 'My dear, it is because I simply cannot get close enough to you to satisfy by overwhelming need.'

At the time she had frowned at his answer believing him to be laughing at her, but now she giggled and allowed herself to hope that his words had been true. She rose to head downstairs, but hesitated when she saw her bottle of lemon verbena scent lying neglected at the far edge of her vanity. She had not worn it for some time, preferring these days more potent, floral scents to its sweet simplicity. Yet, now it called to her once more reminding her of the earlier, happier days of her and Rhett's relationship, days that she wished now to return to. Dabbing some on to her wrists, and neck before running her now-scented fingers through her hair, Scarlett felt comforted by the familiar fragrance as she gave herself one last look in the mirror before leaving the room.

She had just finished descending the stairs when Mammy came hurrying down the hallway, her normally stoic face softening with a flash of pride as she took in the sight of Scarlett dressed in her green gown. ' Why Miss Scarlett you is lookin' lak yo' ole self.' She said, her voice rich with nostalgia, before a small, sly smile graced her lips, 'Ah wonder if Mist' Rhett's got anythin' to do wid it!'

Scarlett frowned at Mammy's impertinence, she had always known too much for her own good. 'As a matter of fact he hasn't and even if he did it would be none of your concern.' Scarlett replied haughtily, attempting to throw Mammy of the scent with her denial.

Rather than being humbled by Scarlett's sharp words though, Mammy only narrowed her eyes like a bloodhound that had caught the smell of its prey, 'Ah din' suppose you'll be sleepin' wid him again tonight den will you?'

Scarlett felt her jaw slacken at Mammy's unexpected words and was going to shout at her for speaking out of line when she caught sight of the gleam in her dark eyes. Scarlett had never had many girl friends, Melanie and Careen were the closest she'd ever got and even they would be sure to spurn her if they knew what she was truly capable of. But Mammy was different, Mammy knew her inside out, knew all of her worst traits and yet loved her still. Looking into Mammy's wise, old face, Scarlett realised just how lonely she had become since her and Rhett had stopped being friends, how much she needed to talk to someone who not only understood her, but who would take her side no matter what.

With this in mind Scarlett let her sudden anger seep away and instead gave Mammy a secret smirk and said, 'I won't be going back to my bed if I can help it.'

The two women stood in silence for a moment, both revelling in the warm sensation of being conspirators once more, before Mammy broke the quiet to say, 'Ah is glad mah lam'.'

Scarlett quirked her brow in momentary confusion, 'Really Mammy, you've been trying to keep me away from Rhett ever since I first met him, don't you go telling me that you like him now!'

Mammy's voice took on an earnest quality as she said simply, 'Chile dat man is far from perfect, but dat din' mean he ain' perfect for you.'

Scarlett found herself at a loss for words as the truth of Mammy's statement slowly sunk in. Her moment of enlightenment was interrupted however when the front door swung open and Rhett stepped into the hallway. Scarlett smiled internally when she heard him gasp softly as he took her in, his eyes raking her form in a way that had always used to make her feel indecent, but now only made her feel desired.

His fleeting look of lust however was quickly wiped from his face to be replaced by a look of steely determination. Scarlett shuddered slightly at the intensity of his gaze and wondered what it was that had made him abandon his normally detached persona. As happy as she was to see him though, she couldn't help but inwardly curse at his bad timing, supper was only ten minutes away and Melanie was sure to be bringing the children back any second now. She had hoped to speak to Bonnie before Rhett returned and try and wrangle an invitation to sleep with her daughter and husband again tonight, but with Rhett's prying eyes there was no chance of having that conversation now without him hearing it and uncovering her intentions. She would have to think of another plan, and quickly.

As Rhett said a hurried hello to her and Mammy before heading to his room to change for dinner, Scarlett turned quickly to Mammy and said, 'Will you help me?'. Though she never liked exposing her weakness by admitting she needed others, she knew that Mammy would not judge her for asking for help and besides, desperate times called for desperate measures.

'Of course mah lam'' Mammy said, her eyes twinkling at the thought of being truly needed by her favourite charge once again.

'After dinner will you see to it that we have a selection of cheeses for dessert rather than Dilcey's usual delicacies?'

'Whut you want ter do dat for?' Mammy asked, a frown darkening her brow, 'you know dey only gwine give you bad dreams.'

Scarlett only smiled enigmatically, 'Come now Mammy, you know better than to believe old wives tales! I have a fancy for cheese and you did promise you'd help me so cheese is what I'm going to get. Make sure there's plenty for Rhett and the children too, you know how Bonnie loves cheese.'

Mammy's frown only deepened at her words and Scarlett was sure she was going to put up a fight when fortunately the front door opened and her children came running into the hallway, all yelling in an attempt to be the first to tell their mother about the day they had had.

Normally such behaviour would have given Scarlett a headache and she'd have scolded them before sending them off to bother Rhett instead, but today they provided her with the perfect excuse to get out of an argument with Mammy and so she was more than happy to listen to their chatter.

Wade was just in the middle of telling her about how he and Beau had built an ant farm, his small, delicate face flushed with excitement at the rare attention his beloved mother was paying him, when Rhett came back down the stairs looking as dapper as ever in his fresh clothes and suggested they all make their way to the table.

Dinner was an awkward affair, Scarlett did her best to listen to the children's stories whilst all the while wondering whether Mammy would fulfil her promise to help her or not. It was a stupid idea really and there was a good chance that it wouldn't work, but Bonnie did have a penchant for cheese and Scarlett herself had always suffered from nightmares after eating it, so she could only hope that her daughter, so like her in other ways, would share this trait as well.

Every now and again Scarlett felt herself turning her head to stare at Rhett, his strong physique and tanned skin making her stomach flutter with excitement. She wondered why it was only now that she felt such a strong reaction when looking at him, it was not as if he had gotten any handsomer in the last few months. Indeed the increased amount of time he was spending at Belles', drinking and doing God knows what else, was slowing beginning to take its toll on him, rounding out his once sharp-featured face and placing a few grey hairs amongst his black mane.

Yet, these additions did not repel Scarlett, but rather only served to endear him to her further, suggesting as they did a hint of vulnerability about a man who had previously intimidated her with the sheer force of his dominating physical presence. Scarlett always tried to be covert when she looked at him, but it seemed that Rhett could sense her silent scrutiny. Every time her gaze landed on him, his black eyes would leap up to her face with a curious, almost hopeful look engrained deep in their onyx depths.

At these moments Scarlett would flush red and hastily jerk her head away from her husband back towards her children, scolding herself for looking a fool and telling herself not to look his way again. But Scarlett's eyes had always been her own, untamed and free from the restrictions imposed on her by society, and sooner or later they always found their way back to Rhett as if pulled there by an invisible current that flowed from him to her.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity to Scarlett, everyone finished their main course and the servants came in to clear away the plates and bring out the dessert. Scarlett craned her neck as Mammy came in with the food on a silver tray and only stopped herself sighing loudly in relief when she saw that it was indeed cheese by an enormous act of willpower. There was not as much as she would have liked on the tray and she frowned at Mammy only for her to shrug her shoulders in reply as if to say that it was the best she could do on short notice.

Out of the corner of her eye Scarlett saw Rhett's forehead crease as, observant as ever, he took in the silent conversation between the two women. However, much to Scarlett's relief, he did not question the exchange nor the unusual choice of dessert and even took a large slice from the tray when it was offered to him. Scarlett declined the cheese when it was her turn to be served, seeing that there wasn't that much to go around and being conscious that if her flimsy plan was to work then Bonnie would need to eat a substantial amount of the stuff in order for it to have the desired effect.

Scarlett frowned when Wade took a bigger piece than she would have liked and when Ella went to follow suit fear made her speak out harshly. 'Ella don't be such a glutton!' she scolded sharply, 'you'll never fit into your dresses if you keep eating so much. Leave some for your sister, she's a growing girl so she needs more than you do.'

'Scarlett!' Rhett admonished as Ella turned bright red at her mother's reprimand and in her panicked attempt to return the cheese to the tray ended up dropping most of it onto the carpet. Turning to face her husband she saw that all of the gentleness that had graced his countenance during dinner had been replaced by anger at her cruel rant. Feeling ashamed of herself and being unable to explain the true reason for her outburst, Scarlett could only duck her head under the heat of his glowering gaze and mutter a quick apology for her behaviour.

Feeling that she had made a fatal mistake by lashing out, but unsure of how to correct it, Scarlett could only watch as Rhett soothed Ella and generously gave her his piece of cheese while Bonnie guzzled down the remaining slices in record time.

After everyone had finished, Bonnie asked Rhett if he'd play with her in the nursery to which Rhett replied that he had just heard of an excellent game that they could all play together. Wade and Ella's faces lit up at being included and Scarlett felt a dull pang deep in her chest at the sight of them smiling confidently and unabashedly at their step-father when they could hardly bear to look their own mother in the eye. She knew it was her own fault, her performance tonight had made that painfully clear, but even now that she was willing to admit that she was at fault and try to patch up their decidedly frayed relationship she feared that it was already too late, that too much damage had already been done for them to ever truly be a happy family.

With a heavy heart she rose from the table and made her way to the door. She was surprised when she heard Rhett calling after her.

'Why don't you stay and play with us?' he asked, his face having drained of its previous anger but returned to its usual closed off state, void of the emotion he had tentatively let her see earlier in the evening.

Scarlett was about to agree when she saw Ella and Wades' faces fall slightly at the suggestion and she realised that their fear of her would prevent them from truly enjoying the game if she was to get involved. Swallowing her desire to prolong her time with Rhett in favour of putting her two eldest children's happiness before her own for once, Scarlett shook her head and replied that she had a headache and needed an early night.

Rhett nodded curtly at her decision and turned back to face the children without a word. Hurt by his silent dismissal of her and not wanting to give the wrong impression for her refusal, Scarlett nervously cleared her throat.

'Rhett,' she said making him swivel back to look at her, 'I'll play another night if that's ok though. I think the children would have more fun with just you tonight.'

Rhett nodded slowly, his eyes burning into hers as if he was only truly seeing her for the first time in many months. Mollified by the thought that he understood her reasoning, Scarlett walked out of the dining room and headed upstairs to the very bedroom that mere hours ago she had sworn to herself she would never sleep in again.

* * *

It was some hours later, just after Scarlett had finally managed to shut her brain off and fall asleep, that she was rudely awoken from her slumber by the sound of someone screaming. Dazed and disorientated, Scarlett sat bolt upright in her bed, the sheets tangling themselves round her limbs as she did so. She narrowed her eyes as she eagerly scanned the room, hoping to see her daughter's small frame amongst the shadows. However, several moments later she gave up the search in a state of disappointment, seeing that her room was as empty as ever. She reluctantly resigned herself to the fact that Bonnie had not come to her as she had the previous night. Either she must have imagined the scream or her daughter only needed Rhett to ease her fears tonight.

She was almost about to lie back down when a shrill cry of 'MAAMMMAAAA!' resounded through the house, tearing through the dead air of her bedroom and making her heart leap in joy. A smile broke out across her cheeks, stretching her lips almost to the point of pain, as she eagerly leapt out of bed, almost falling over in her excitement to get to her daughter. She raced across her floor to the door and tore down the corridor towards Rhett's room, flinging away her pride and reserve in her rush to be enveloped in his embrace once more.


	5. Chapter 5

_Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up, especially to the guest reviewer who praised me for my consistent updates! I started back in uni this week so things got a little hectic and I didn't have much time to write._

_I think this is the final chapter of this story, if I ever choose to update it again though I'll let you know, but for now I'm happy with the way it ends and I'm looking forward to starting a new story which should be up in the next couple of weeks._

_Thanks to everyone who read or reviewed this story, I didn't know what to expect when I started it not having done anything like this before, but I've been overwhelmed by the response its gotten so much so that I really didn't want it to end! Please let me know what you think of this chapter. Much love._

* * *

As she flung open the door and emerged out of the darkened hallway into Rhett's well-lit bedroom, Scarlett felt the sudden burst of light echoed her inner joy at finding herself within the room once more. Her heart palpitated loudly in her chest as she took in the sight of Rhett sitting on the edge of his bed holding Bonnie tenderly in his arms. He was clad only in his trousers and dressing gown, the latter of which had parted slightly at the front exposing the top of his chest to her hungry eyes.

'Mama I had a nightmare!' Bonnie trilled causing Scarlett to rip her gaze away from her husband and focus on her daughter. She noticed that Bonnie's eyes seemed to be shining more with excitement at her mother's arrival than with the fear brought on by her bad dream. Scarlett breathed a sigh of relief at the sight, thankful that her stunt with the cheese hadn't caused her daughter any real distress.

'What was it about honey?' she asked.

Instead of answering though, Bonnie frowned like she was unsure of what to say. After a moment of awkward silence Rhett cut through the quiet with his reassuring drawl, 'It was about a bear wasn't it sweety?' he said, rubbing Bonnie's back comfortingly, his face filled with fatherly concern.

Bonnie smiled and nodded her head vigorously in agreement, 'He was huge Mama and he kept chasing me, it was really scary!'

But though she talked of being afraid, Scarlett couldn't help but notice that Bonnie looked anything but, and in a rare flash of intuition Scarlett wondered if Bonnie hadn't made up the story in order to get them all to sleep in the same bed again.

Touched and more than a little flattered by her daughter's show of affection, Scarlett was about to reach out and draw Bonnie in for a hug when something in Rhett's face caught her attention. His head was pointed in her direction and yet his eyes were turned away from her as if he feared to look her directly in the face. His dark eyes were gleaming and there was a tiny, almost invisible hint of redness in his cheeks that Scarlett was sure she would have missed if she hadn't been staring at him so hard.

Scarlett would almost have believed that he was blushing if the idea wasn't so absurd. Rhett never got embarrassed, he was always careful to ensure that he was in complete control at all times… and yet, Scarlett pondered, his face was definitely a little flushed under his tan.

Sensing her gaze, Rhett stiffened and quickly wrapped his arms more securely around Bonnie before standing up. 'Yes, well, there's no use in talking about it all night, best to just forget about it now baby and try and get some sleep.' He said swiftly, looking as if he was in a sudden rush to end the conversation and get to bed.

At first Scarlett thought that his terse words were meant as a dismissal of her, a clear sign that he did not want a repeat of last night's sleeping arrangements and so planned to push her out of the room as quickly as possible before Bonnie had a chance to ask her to stay. But instead of putting Bonnie back in her own bed as Scarlett was expecting him to do, he strode round to the head of his own and placed Bonnie carefully under the covers.

Before Scarlett had a chance to move, Rhett returned to her side, surprising her by silently taking her arm and guiding her round to the other side of the bed before gesturing for her to get in. Shocked by his unexpected actions, Scarlett snapped her head up to meet his in an attempt to decipher the meaning behind his strange behaviour, but he steadfastly refused to meet her gaze, instead angling his face downwards towards the carpet.

Confused but unwilling to turn down such a golden opportunity, Scarlett turned away from him and slipped into the bed, sliding across until she was lying next to Bonnie. Rhett paused for a second to untie his robe and cast it off, Scarlett emitting a small gasp as the strong, unyielding expanse of his swarthy chest was exposed to her for the first time in many months.

As he lowered himself onto the bed, his dark face as deliberately blank and inscrutable as ever, Scarlett felt as if she had been hypnotised by the sheer physical force that emanated from his large body. It prevented her from moving a muscle as he slowly approached her, holding her captive as if she was some sort of prey caught up by the thrall of its predator.

She knew that like a predator he had the power to kill her, not only physically but emotionally too, for if she opened her heart to him only to be rejected then she did not think she would be able to stand the pain and humiliation. And yet she could not bring herself to run away, rather she welcomed his touch, longed for it even, for it appealed to something deep and primal inside of her, a kink in her nature that had always set her apart from the rest of society. A kink that had meant she could never truly be happy in a normal, domesticated marriage like the rest of Atlanta's respectable citizens, but could only ever find true completion with a man as wild and untamed as herself. A man who was moving ever closer to her with each passing second.

She felt him before he had even touched her, waves of warmth seemed to roll off his body onto hers and she had just opened her mouth to sigh at the luxurious sensation when Bonnie's cry shattered her moment of bliss.

'I want to be in the middle!' Bonnie whined, dousing the fire between her parents in an instant. Next to Scarlett, Rhett froze, a frown clouding his features.

'You were too hot in the middle last night Bonnie.' He said in a tone which was a little sharper than the loving one he normally used whenever he addressed his darling daughter.

It seemed Bonnie noticed the slight reprimand in his voice for she cuddled closer to Scarlett and pouted, 'But you said that if I pretended to have a…'

'Fine you can sleep in the middle.' Rhett snapped, cutting over Bonnie sharply as he pulled away from Scarlett to make room for his daughter.

Scarlett narrowed her eyes at Rhett's erratic mood swing as Bonnie clambered over her to claim the now empty space between them, wondering what it was that had so rattled his usually unflappable composure. She had never heard him speak crossly to Bonnie before, let alone interrupt her, why normally he hung off everything their daughter said as if each and every word was utterly fascinating to him. She wondered if Bonnie had been about to say something that Rhett didn't want her to hear, she'd been saying something about pretending, a statement Scarlett took as confirmation of her earlier assumption that Bonnie had lied about having a nightmare.

But while she was right in thinking the bad dream had been made up, the idea that Rhett had told Bonnie to do it suggested it was her husband and not her daughter who had come up with the plan. Scarlett frowned in confusion, but why would Rhett have asked Bonnie to fabricate a bad dream? And even more importantly, why would he have made Bonnie call for her?

Unless she thought, her heart beginning to beat faster until it threatened to burst through her chest, perhaps she wasn't the only one who had enjoyed them sleeping together last night. Perhaps she wasn't the only one who hadn't wanted it to end there. And perhaps she wasn't the only one who had used their daughter to try and ensure that it wouldn't.

Filled with a delicious sense of anticipation, Scarlett jerked her head up to look at her husband, hoping to see his face staring back at her filled with all the emotion that she felt sure was draped across hers. Her spirits fell slightly however when she saw that he was instead staring fixedly up at the ceiling as if suddenly captivated by the sight of their roof.

Silently she willed him to look at her, her emerald eyes blazing into his skin so determinedly she was surprised it didn't start to sizzle under the intense heat of her regard. But no matter how hard she stared he would not look at her and gradually her sudden confidence that he cared for her as she did for him began to fade. After all why would he go to all this trouble of ensuring she slept with him again tonight only to ignore her once she was back in his bed? Unless, she thought darkly, unless this was another of his cruel games designed to play with her emotions for his own, perverse amusement.

Dejected by this notion, she lay back down and almost laughed mirthlessly when Rhett chose this exact moment to extinguish the light, flooding the room with the same darkness that now filled her heart.

After some time Bonnie drifted off to sleep and Scarlett wished desperately that she could do the same. She marvelled at the fact she had spent the majority of the day desiring only to get back into Rhett's bed when, now that she was here, she wanted nothing more than for dawn to come so that she could leave it and forget all about her silly fantasies.

Yet while sleep had come easily to her the previous night, this time round it evaded her entirely. As she tossed and turned continuously trying to find a comfortable position she wondered if this was even the same bed that she had slept in last night. Surely, it had not been this hot yesterday? The pillows had not been so hard, nor the quilt so heavy and suffocating? The traitorous part of her mind whispered to her that she would probably find the bed far more agreeable if only Rhett would take her in his arms like he had before.

While she tried to drive these unwanted thoughts out of her mind, she could not help but turn onto her side to face him as if the mere sight of him would somehow help her find peace. But instead of giving her relief, looking at him served only to increase her torment. It was torture to lie this close to Rhett, to listen to the calming, rhythmic sound of his breathing, and yet to feel so far away, like looking in the window of your home but being unable to get inside.

Scarlett tried not to blame Bonnie for coming between them again- literally this time- as she knew that if it wasn't for her daughter she'd be sleeping in her own bed tonight, but it was hard not to feel resentful when she looked at her snuggled up tightly to Rhett's side in the very place she wished herself to be. Scarlett sighed heavily into the oppressive weight of the dark night air as she flipped over from her side for what felt like the hundredth time that night to land heavily on her back.

Suddenly from out of the gloom she heard a deep, rich chuckle, a sound which reverberated through her entire body and made her shiver despite the immense heat of the quilt. 'My dear' Rhett drawled, 'as much as I'm enjoying the renewal of your night time presence, all your tossing is making this bed bumpier than a boat during a storm. I fear Bonnie's going to become seasick if you don't settle down.'

'I can't help it Rhett!' Scarlett snapped, missing the intended joke and hearing only the insult as always, 'I hate this bed!'

Rhett's voice instantly hardened at her words, taking on a venom that far outweighed her own, 'Yes, I suppose you would wouldn't you my pet? How silly of me to hope it was otherwise. Although, perhaps it is not the bed that you dislike so vehemently, but rather the person in it?'

Scarlett sighed, nothing was ever straightforward between them, even nights like this which had at first seemed to offer them the chance of putting their marriage back on track served only to derail it further. Forcing back the sharp words which flew instinctively to her tongue, Scarlett refused to fall back into the same pattern of insults and criticisms that had come to dictate their conversations of late. Instead she took a deep, soothing breath and said as calmly as she could, 'That's not what I meant Rhett, I just can't get comfy in this bed is all.'

'No, I doubt you can' he retorted, 'after all they do say that those with a guilty conscience find sleep hard to attain.'

'Guilty?' Scarlett questioned, 'what in the world do I have to feel guilty about?'

'Oh nothing my dear, you of course are as irreproachable as ever, perhaps it is not your conscience that keeps you awake at all, but rather your heart.'

'My heart?' she repeated dumbly, feeling more confused by her infuriating husband than ever.

'Indeed your heart, does it not assault you with images of the bed that you would rather be in tonight? And the man who you would rather be sharing it with?' Rhett asked, his voice adopting an ugly, jeering tone as he spoke.

Scarlett frowned as she finally grasped what it was he was trying to get at. Ashley. Always Ashley. It was almost as if it was him that was lying between them rather than their sleeping daughter, a silent, festering presence which prevented them from ever truly being together. It was true that there was once a time when visions of Ashley had tormented her in the dead of the night, but that was a long time ago now, back before her decision to cast Rhett out of her bedroom had shown her who it was that she really wanted. Yet, while she was no longer plagued by fantasies of him it was clear that Rhett was as haunted by the spectre of the man as ever.

Suddenly Scarlett felt drained, her heart becoming more tired than her body as she realised that her and Rhett had been going round in circles for years, always almost in reach of happiness but never getting quite close enough to grasp it. Scarlett knew if they were ever to break this soul-destroying cycle and have some sort of future together then they had to start by consigning Ashley firmly to the past and that now was as good a time as any to start.

'Rhett,' she whispered gently, but with an underlying determination, 'it's not Ashley that is keeping me awake, in fact I haven't thought about him in months. Please believe me when I say I have no desire to be in any bed but yours.'

A long, heavy silence filled the room in the wake of her speech before Rhett murmured hesitatingly, 'Not even your own?'

'No' she stated decidedly, 'it's grown cold since the day that you left it.'

'But you said you didn't like it here.' Rhett said, his tone still cautious as if he was almost unwilling to believe what he was hearing.

'I said that your bed was uncomfortable, not that I didn't want to be in it. I'm boiling hot under this damn quilt and these pillows feel like they've been stuffed with bricks not feathers!' she pouted kicking the quilt up angrily with her feet.

Rhett laughed at her tantrum, truly laughed in the reckless, exuberant way that he used to whenever she did something that amused him and Scarlett felt the darkness retreat at the very sound of his sudden joy.

'My pet,' he grinned, all former anger gone as if swept away by a sudden wind, 'you should have told me earlier for I have the perfect remedy. While my pillows may be hard, I think that you will find that my chest is as comfortable a resting place as it ever was.'

Scarlett tensed at his unexpected and scandalous words, her face burning so brightly she was surprised it didn't illuminate the entire bedroom with its blaze. Her stomach felt as if it had been reduced to a bubbling, molten mass, a sensation both exciting and excruciating and which made her body freeze for the second time that night.

'What's the matter my pet?' Rhett asked when she didn't respond, unable to keep the teasing laughter out of his voice, 'you haven't got shy on me have you?'

'Damn that skunk!' Scarlett cursed to herself, it was just like him to taunt her like this. And yet stronger than her anger, rose up another familiar feeling, the need to better him, to rise to the test and prove that he could not beat her. Fuelled by this competitive streak that ran deeper than her embarrassment, Scarlett pulled back the covers and climbed down from the bed, luxuriating in the feel of the cold night breeze around her ankles after the heat of the quilt. Quickly she made her way across the floor towards where Rhett lay.

He was holding the quilt up in one hand in a silent invitation for her to crawl in next to him, the soft down of his chest hair indeed looking like the perfect place to lay her head. She fully intended do just that when a sudden pang of fear stopped her in her tracks, dousing her sudden fire with a cold splash of reality.

Surely this was too easy, too sudden, after months of silence and years of tension could all their problems really be solved in one single night? What if Rhett didn't really want her, what if his words were yet another part of his game, one of his nasty jokes meant to trip her up and make her look a fool? But he did not look as if he was joking now, in fact even in the low light Scarlett could detect the fire in his eyes, the small spark of hope mixed with desire which illuminated his normally dark orbs.

Yet still she could not bring herself to move. She knew that in lying next to him she would be exposing her feelings openly for the first time, leaving herself vulnerable to his ridicule and rejection, neither of which she felt strong enough to face. With every passing second that she stood before him the decision whether to surrender or run got harder, took on more significance, until after five minutes of perfect silence she knew that her choice would come to determine the path their entire marriage took from this point onwards.

Finally Rhett broke the standoff. 'What's the matter honey?' he asked softly, his words an echo of those that he'd used many years before on another definitive day in their relationship. Scarlett realised they were also the ones that she had used to address Bonnie this time last night when her daughter had stood before her bed in a similar state of distress, except the cause of Scarlett's anxiety lay in reality rather than in her dreams.

'Rhett… I …' she stuttered, feeling uncharacteristically helpless and hating every second of it.

Thankfully Rhett took control as he always did when she needed him most, staking his flag firmly to the mast and thereby making her decision an easy one. 'Come here love.' He crooned gently, his other hand reaching out to capture hers in his strong, reassuring grip. Wordlessly he pulled her towards him and she sunk gratefully on to the bed.

She lay down by his side and moved her head so that it rested on his broad chest, directly over his heart. The sound of its rhythmic drumming filled her ear and helped wash away the stress inflicted by the night's numerous ordeals. Each beat was the same as the last, a silent promise from him to her that while everything else around her might change, he alone would remain the one constant in her life. Instinctively she curled her body up against his, moulding her supple form to his harder frame. Her feet caught in the bottom of his trouser leg and slowly slid their way up into the small gap between the rough fabric and the warm smoothness of his skin. She draped her arm possessively across his stomach, her fingers clutching in his side as she was swept up by a sudden desire to get as close to him as possible.

Slowly she tilted her head upwards away from the centre of his chest, her nose skimming along the exposed skin of his throat, up along the rough stubble of his neck towards the strong outline of his jaw. She stopped in her ascent once she felt the lobe of his ear press against her forehead and turning, she buried her face into the safety of his neck in the way that she had always loved to do in the days before she had mistakenly thought that she could live without him.

Breathing in his comforting scent of cigars, whiskey and horses, she felt as if she had arrived home after a long and unpleasant journey. She sighed contentedly against Rhett's skin, feeling him shiver slightly underneath her as she did so. The movement, though small, set sparks of desire rushing through her and suddenly lying next to him was no longer enough. She wanted more, she wanted it to be exactly how it had used to be between them, back in the days of their honeymoon when it felt like they were the only two people in existence, the only two people who were truly alive.

She remembered how his eyes had followed her everywhere, watched her every movement as if she was the only thing in the entire world that ever had or ever would matter to him. She loved her daughter, truly she did, these last two nights had shown her exactly how much and she was determined to be a better mother, not just to Bonnie but to Wade and Ella as well, the sort of mother that Ellen had been and that Melanie now was. But she'd start tomorrow, after all tomorrow was another day and in it she could do anything that she set her mind to. But tonight, tonight belonged to her and Rhett, and she was determined that it would be the one time she did not have to compete with her daughter for his affections, the one time that he would be hers and hers alone.

With these thoughts dancing across her mind she leant up on her elbow so that her face was in line with Rhett's in the darkness. Through the gloom she could make out the flame that burned deep in his eyes and emboldened by the sight she rallied her courage and put on her most seductive face. It was not the face of the young belle that she had once been, filled with false sweetness and the coy looks that had been so rigorously drummed into her by Ellen and Mammy. Instead it was the face of the woman that she had become, a woman who had seen many sins and committed countless more, who had wasted most of her life doting upon a hopeless dream, but who had finally woken up and realised what, and more importantly who, it was that she really wanted.

'Rhett,' she murmured teasingly, a small smile playing out on her lips, a smile which grew in size when she saw the hooded and lustful look Rhett was giving her, 'I know I said I preferred your bed to mine, but there is one way in which mine is better.'

'Just one?' he asked, a Cheshire cat smile breaking out as his black eyes danced playfully in their sockets.

Scarlett nodded, biting her lip to stop herself from purring as he began to stroke her bare arm with the tips of his fingers.

'And what way would that be my pet?' He whispered, his hand moving higher to caress her neck.

'It's empty.'

* * *

Some considerable time later, caught up in a heavenly tangle of sheets and limbs in a bed he never thought he'd lie in again, Rhett Butler smiled to himself as he felt his wife's flushed and spent body melt into his own. He bathed in the delicious sensation of her soft breathing against the side of his neck as she drifted off to sleep, the gentle puffs of air against his skin feeling like the softest, most intimate of caresses. Safe in the knowledge that she wouldn't notice, he allowed the arm that was holding her tightly to his side to rise up as he pulled her jet black locks away from her face and across his throat. The familiar, much-missed scent of lemon verbena floated up towards him as the long, silken strands tickled his neck in the way that he had always loved. Surrounded by her like this, Rhett felt the last remnants of pain and bitterness which had consumed him these past few months fade away, allowing his love for her to shine through fully once again.

As he held her in his arms, breathing in her scent and listening to the beating of her heart, he could not quite believe the dramatic turnaround that his life had taken in the last thirty-six hours. Surely the man who had been filled with such anger and resentment, who could barely stand to look at his wife and who believed her in love with Ashley Wilkes could not be same man who now lay so contentedly next to that same wife basking in the blissful knowledge that he was the one who held the key to her heart?

For he knew now that she loved him and his heart and soul rejoiced at the fact. If the heated, sinful look she had given him in his bedroom hours before had not alerted him to her true feelings then her later giggling confession about how she had plotted to get herself back into his bed certainly had. Scarlett had seemed amazed by the fact they had both tried to use their daughter to achieve the same end, but he had not been surprised in the slightest. After all they had always been extraordinarily similar creatures, both shrewd and selfish and willing to do anything to get what they wanted.

No, their almost identical plots hadn't been the thing that had astonished him, but rather the fact that she had wanted to get back into his bed in the first place. When she had banished him from her room all those months ago he had felt sure that their marriage was as good as over. Though he had never been able to win her mind or heart, the two things he most desperately wanted, he had at least been able to console himself with the notion that he did hold some sway over her body. But when she had decided that she did not even want him in this respect, he had felt that his endless struggle to make her love him had failed once and for all and that there was now no hope of her ever reciprocating the feelings that had consumed him since the first time he had caught sight of her across a crowded lawn.

But tonight had changed all of that, reviving a heart that he had feared would never beat again. Though she had always been swayed by his ministrations, never before had she initiated anything intimate between them. Indeed whenever he had done so she had always been oddly nervous and passive, a woman poles apart from the bold, fearless figure she cut in the daylight hours. But tonight she had finally overcome her reservations, baring herself completely to him body and soul and meeting his every advance with a passion which more than matched his own burning need for her.

He shuddered as he recalled how at the moment of her release she had opened her startling green eyes which had bewitched him from the very first and, staring straight into his soul, had moaned his name as if it was the solution to every question life had ever asked of her. The moment had shaken him to his very core, the look in her eyes combined with the reverent tone in which she uttered his name had revealed her love for him more strongly and earnestly than those three little words ever could.

The intensity of that instant had triggered his own release and he had climaxed with her name on his lips knowing that in doing so he was exposing his own love to her and for once being too caught up to care about the consequences. That two word exchange was like a renewal of their wedding vows for the two of them, wiping away old hurts and grievances and promising a fresh start free from the shadows of the past.

As he pulled Scarlett closer to him, Rhett felt that he had finally found the place that he had been desperately searching for ever since that long gone day when his father had forced him from his childhood home. For years after he had thought that the key to filling the hole inside of him lay in adventure, at the helm of a ship, down the shaft of a gold mine, amongst the streets and cities of Europe. But it had always evaded him and so eventually, disillusioned and alone, he had stopped searching and instead found solace from his inner emptiness in the bottom of a glass and in the beds of numberless, nameless women.

Then one day, in the most unpromising of places, he had looked up and found the answer to his decade long search at the bottom of a pair of scorching emerald eyes. He had known in that moment that it was not an adventure that he had been looking for all this time, but rather a home, a home with a person who was every bit as passionate, strong and alive as he was. Until that moment he had thought that he would always be an outsider, that his differences from society would keep him forever on the side lines, but when he looked into her eyes and saw his own rebellious nature staring straight back at him he knew he need be alone no more.

Of course, this being Scarlett it hadn't been that simple. While he had known instantly that they belonged together, could only ever truly be happy with each other, she on the other hand clung obstinately to her childhood fantasy of being a great lady and so rejected his ungentlemanly pursuit in favour of that golden-haired epitome of Old Southern aristocracy; Ashley Wilkes. There had been many a time when he'd come close to giving up on her, to cutting his losses and fleeing to some far-flung land. Yet, though he had tried to leave her numerous times, he had never quite been able to manage it.

No matter how far he ran or how much he tried to forget her, she called to him always, like a siren singing him to the shore. And he had always followed the sound, knowing full well that he would be dashed against the rocks of her indifference once again, but unable to suppress the vain hope that this would be the time that he would finally make it into harbour safe and be welcomed by her loving embrace.

When she had banned him from her bed he had almost broken down in despair, feeling as he did that this was the final death knell in their already tempestuous marriage. In choosing Ashley over him, Rhett had thought that Scarlett had finally made her choice and that she would never now be his. Indeed if it hadn't been for the children he would have left the house that day and never come back. But they needed him and so he could not abandon them, tempted as he undoubtedly was, instead consigning himself to a life lived next to, but never with, the woman he loved. The woman who many years ago had seemed to promise him everything he'd been looking for and instead had served only to strip everything from him.

Scarlett sighed in her sleep and nuzzled further into his neck, the feel of her warm, willing body filling Rhett with a sense of completeness he had never thought he would manage to attain. Loneliness and disappointed dreams had been his only bedfellows for so long that he could not quite believe that she was actually lying beside him, needing him every bit as much as he needed her for the very first time. His heart clenched at the thought that only last night he had thought Scarlett dead, had felt his life crashing around him and been utterly powerless to stop it.

Now as she lay in his arms, her hand splayed possessively across his stomach as if she feared he would get away from her while she slept, he realised it was not just his wife who had come back from the dead last night, but also their marriage, their future and most importantly their love. It would not be easy he knew, life with Scarlett rarely was, but this small window into the happiness he could have with her was enough to cause him to take up the fight once more. Now that she seemed to have come to her senses regarding Ashley, maybe she could finally come to realise that he was the one for her, the only one who truly understood her and loved her not in spite of her many flaws, but because of them, loved her because he too possessed those same flaws.

It had been a long, weary road that he had travelled since the day he had been banished from his father's home and family, but now, Rhett thought as he hugged his wife even closer to him and thought of the three children sleeping peacefully in their beds down the hall, now he had finally found his own.

As the first rays of dawn broke through the clouds and illuminated the sky, Rhett smiled at the thought that the long, dark night that their marriage had been struggling under for so long had finally lifted, and tomorrow had arrived at last.


End file.
